| For my sister's birthday I wanted to surprise her with | | | | and colorful in all their floating wonder, just as I had |
| a balloon bouquet, flowers were out of my budget | | | | ordered. |
| range but I knew I could afford a nice spread of | | | | Then she told me that the card was a little strange. |
| balloons. She worked as a hair stylist in Ketchum, | | | | Instead of being signed with, "Luv, ya" it was signed |
| Idaho and I wanted a big birthday display to | | | | lub ya, l-u-b. English was not the order takers first |
| celebrate her birthday. The balloons would be a nice | | | | language and I had not enunciated the v sound. I am |
| way to announce it was her birthday. | | | | sure she thought the request was quite strange but |
| I ordered the Mylar silver balloons with prints and I | | | | didn't question me. Maybe not that strange, it was |
| specified the best of the worst, the tacky rose and | | | | famous Ketchum, Idaho (where all the celebrities and |
| flower prints, the sappy cartoon animals with "Happy | | | | beautiful rich people play in Sun Valley) and this |
| Birthday" written in garish colors. It was going to be | | | | request may not even rank close to strange on the |
| great and very hard to miss. | | | | celebrity scale. |
| The sentiment I wanted was simple, "Happy Birthday, | | | | We both started laughing at the mistake and to this |
| Luv ya" I even spelled out luv l-u-v for the order | | | | day we sign off with a hearty lub ya. |
| taker. Instead of the traditional love you. | | | | The balloons have paid off handsomely in dividends, |
| The big day came and I called her to see if they had | | | | everyone did wish her a happy birthday and we have |
| been delivered. Yes, they had been delivered and | | | | added a new term to our vocabulary. |
| they took up half of her front space. Bright, tacky | | | | |